Life
These days, friendship means liking each other's pictures on Instagram and binge-watching the hottest new show on Netflix with plenty of wine on hand. (I'm a fan of the wine part, in particular.) But when we were kids, the story was totally different when it came to things a '90s friendship was made of. We knew what truly made someone your friend: Lifetime access to their entire collection of milky pens and freedom to raid their snack closet every time you were invited over. Otherwise, what's the point in even liking each other? (Besides, your friend's mom totally let her eat Twinkies every week, while your mom only bought them for "special occasions.")
I didn't have a ton of friends growing up, but I did have a few. We stuck together on the playground and talked about all the nasty boys who had cooties, shared our lunches when someone got sick of their Lunchables and the other wasn't in the mood for Gushers, and argued over who had the cutest jelly shoes and slap bracelets. You know, all the important things in life.
We might not care much about Lunchables and slap bracelets as adults (... or maybe we do...), but these were just some of the things on which our '90s friendships were built.
1Running To A Friend's House Or Calling On The Landline To Make Plans
Back in the '90s, you had to speak to someone or have a physical encounter in order to communicate and make plans. There was always that rush of excitement ringing your friend's doorbell and asking her mom if she could come out and play.
2Slumber Parties With Our Favorite Movies, Snacks, And Music
Casper was a favorite in my day, and we'd munch on popcorn and drink sugary pop while we curled up in our Disney sleeping bags.
3Passing Notes In Class
It was always a contest to see who could fold the paper more intricately, although the note inside was always something very generic ("Hey! What's ^").
4Gifting Each Other With BFF Necklaces
This was the '90s equivalent of posting your relationship status on Facebook. If you didn't do it, your friendship didn't exist.
5Creating Languages No One Else Understood
We thought we were so cool. We'd speak in gibberish and other people would stare, so confused. And we'd be all, "Yeah, you wish you were this awesome."
6Pretending To Be A Famous Girl Band
You'd each pick your favorite Spice Girl and try to fake the accent. Horribly, I might add.
7Copying Each Other's Homework
Isn't that the whole point of having friends? No?... Just me, then.
8Always Partnering Up With Each Other In School And No One Else
Anytime the teacher said you'd be working with a partner, you didn't panic trying to find a buddy: You and your bestie were a packaged deal.
9Going Head To Head In All The Best Video Games
Maria Kart was the bomb. Whoever lost would get angry, and you wouldn't speak to each other for a day or two.
10Dressing Up As Romy And Michele For Halloween
Your parents had never seen the movie, so they didn't know that it was just slightly beyond your maturity level. But how about those clothes, yeah?
11Borrowing CDs And Then Never Returning Them
You still have an old Alanis Morissette CD in your closet, with no memory of how it even got there to begin with.
12Making Matching Friendship Bracelets With Colorful String
We didn't buy expensive jewelry back then. We made it ourselves with material from the local craft store.
13Doing Cool Cat's Cradle Tricks
Cat's Cradle is fun when you're alone, but it's even better with an extra pair of hands. This was the ultimate '90s test of concentration.
